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QUINTA DA MARINHA, Portugal -- Alexander Noren made six birdies and shot a 3-under 68 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Estoril Open of Portugal.

Ross McGowan, who shot a 68 in each of the first two rounds, finished with a 72 in third round and is in second at 5-under 208.

Amateur Pablo Martin (66) and veteran Graeme Storm (70) were tied for third at 209. Martin had an eagle and six birdies in his round at the Oitavos Golf Club.

After a quite stunning back nine of 29 in windy conditions, Martin, a 20-year-old Spaniard who starred at Oklahoma State University, has given himself another chance to taste victory before he turns professional this summer. Martin, who three years ago in Tenerife led the Spanish Open with only 17 holes to go, jumped from 23rd place at halfway into a tie for third.

He is two behind his former Oklahoma State teammate Alex Noren, with last year's English Amateur champion McGowan in second spot after a 72 in which he struggled to an outward 40 and then came back in 32.

Martin has already received the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top college player in the United States, and only five weeks ago he made the halfway cut at a PGA TOUR event in Mexico.

"I think I have matured a little bit since then. I was at school then and brought my books with me," Martin said, referring to his last-round 74 in Tenerife. "Every time you get to play with that pressure you learn things. I have got another chance now and I feel great -- it's great even to be in this place."

The last amateur to win a professional event in Europe was Ireland's David Sheehan at the 1962 Jeyes Tournament at Royal Dublin. But that came before the formation of the European Tour.

Two over par and eight behind when he turned in 37, Martin birdied the 10th, then drove the green at the downwind 348-yard 11th and holed a seven-foot putt for an eagle 2. Further birdies came on the 13th, 16th and 18th to give the former British Boys' champion a 4-under aggregate of 209.

Noren, 24, graduated two years ago and finished third on the European Challenge Tour last season. This is only his 11th start on the main circuit, but he was seventh in Madeira last Sunday.

"Pablo and I are really good friends," he said after a 68. "I spent every night with him the year we were in Oklahoma together and had dinner with him earlier this week. He beat me in almost every tournament at college, but I did beat him a few times!"

McGowan, playing only his second Europea Tour event after switching to the paid ranks in November, led by two after 36 holes, but had two bogeys and then a double-bogey 7 on the outward half.

Far from disappearing off the leaderboard altogether, however, he then started for home with back-to-back birdies and picked up another shot on the 16th.

The group on 2 under includes 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie, fellow Scot Andrew Oldcorn and Jamie Spence. Spence, like Oldcorn and Martin, was reliant on an invitation to play this week. Oldcorn celebrated his 47th birthday in style by also returning a 66, and a win would enable the 2001 Volvo PGA champion to regain the card he lost at the end of last season.

It will take something extraordinary, though, for Paul Broadhurst to become only the fifth player in European Tour history -- after Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods -- to win an event three years in a row. A 75 left him eight adrift.

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